I came across another news article on CNN tonight and I knew this one was going to have to be posted.
Here's the link to get you started:
I know in many of my years of having been in a deaf Baptist Ministry, churches and ministries should take a more "NEUTRAL" approach to their Gay, Lesbian, BI-Sexual, and Transgendered (GLBT) members. While stating what the bible says, they should add the following: "What you do outside the ministry, in your own home, and in your own life, that is between you and GOD.".
Then simply move on from the entire matter. Some churches openly discriminate the GLBT members in forcing them to leave the church ministry as per the church rules as if they are already outed. Perhaps, that needs to change a whole lot more.
How many people are there in a church or ministry that are GLBT? For the pastor of the church or ministry, it would be far better that he would not ask that question, but rather the pastor should do this: Preach honestly, Preach from the heart, and preach from the Word of God itself. God can work on the hearts of GLBT people.
In my young life, I had been encouraged, TWICE, to consider suicide as pastors found out that I was gay. One even gave me the knife and told me to go use it. I took one look at it and did the next best thing: I broke it to bits and buried it where nobody would find it. Nobody, who is a GLBT, should be told in a negative light that we should consider suicide.
The worst thing is, being bullied in a church or ministry is down right wrong and illegal. God will judge, yes!
If pastors approach a GLBT member in a positive way, they could reap a better harvest of souls than having problems in your church/ministry.
Looking at how the month of September and October of the recent suicides of gay people have happened as a result of being bullied, ministries should be careful of what they say out there. An ANTI-gay message could back fire on them more unless they speak honestly as they should.
One thing pastors should be aware of: The hate crime laws now have teeth these days. How the Federal government uses it will be soon a question that we could have an answer to. Nobody wants to hear it, but eventually it will happen.
So please pastors, tell the message to the GLBT members honestly as you can. Thank you.
Semper FI.
Semper FI.
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